KKR beat CSK in opener

Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Chennai Super Kings by three-wicket in the opening match of the sixth edition of the Champions League Twenty20. Earlier, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (35 not out off 20 balls) and Dwayne Bravo (28 not out off 28balls ) took their team to 157 for 4 from the allotted 20 overs. Chasing 158, the Kolkata-based team couldn’t get going in front of Ashish Nehra, who reduce them to 21 for 4 at one stage. The reigning IPL champions were tottering at 51/5 when Ryan ten Doeschate (51 not out) and Andre Russell (58) played out a responsible partnership which took KKR to win. Nehra was the star bowler picking up 4/21 from his four overs for the Super Kings while Mohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja picked up a wicket each.
Brief scores
Chennai Super Kings 157/4 in 20 overs (Mahendra Singh Dhoni 35 not out, Dwayne Bravo 28 not out, Suresh Raina 28; Piyush Chawla 2/26, Sunil Narine 1/9, Yusuf Pathan 1/16) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 159/7 in 19 overs (Andre Russel 58, Ryan ten Doeschate 51 not out, Suryakumar Yadav 19; Ashish Nehra 4/21, Ravindra Jadeja 1/25, Mohit Sharma 1/31).
Other Cricket news:-
Captain is confident
Captain Misbah-ul-Haq has said Pakistan can “once again rule the world” by winning the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year. The return of the tournament Down Under was a good omen for Pakistan, as that was where it won its only World Cup in 1992, when Imran Khan’s side beat England in the final. “As the event is returning to Australia and New Zealand, the level of expectation from us will be quite high,” Misbah said as he posed with the trophy in front of Badshahi Mosque and independence monument in Lahore. “The team’s victory in 1992 is still the most special sporting achievement in the minds of our cricketers and all cricket fans in Pakistan.The whole team is focused to face the most difficult challenge in world cricket, and with the determination of the players and the backing of the millions of Pakistani fans, we hope to once again rule the world.” The 40-year-old Misbah acknowledged the tournament starting in February could also be his international swansong. Pakistan’s opening match on Feb. 15 in Adelaide will be against archrival India, which it has never beaten in five previous World Cup matches. With so much history between them, Misbah said, “People will be looking at it as more than a final.”
Johnson given more time
Cricket Australia has withdrawn Mitchell Johnson from the start of the Champions League Twenty20 to allow the aggressive fast bowler to recover from a rib injury. Johnson plays for India’s Kings XI Punjab, and might be released to play in the latter stages of the tournament which starts this week and culminates in a final at Bangalore on Oct. 4. In a statement, Australia physio Alex Kountouris said Johnson had some rib pain during the recent one-day international tri-series in Zimbabwe. Kountouris said Johnson “has had a break from bowling since returning to Australia and having regular treatment to resolve the problem. He has not fully recovered as yet and will be reviewed over the next week.”
Source-www.crictoday.com

Raina leads India to win

Suresh Raina struck a rapid 100 and off-spinner Ravindra Jadeja took 4-28 as India thrashed England by 133 runs in the second one-day international to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. After capitulating to a 3-1 loss in the recent test series, the Indians quickly found their groove in their favored 50-over format to start the long build-up to next year’s World Cup impressively. Raina’s fourth ODI century, reached off 74 balls, helped India recover from a poor start and post a challenging total of 304-6 in chilly, overcast conditions at Sophia Gardens. England’s target was revised to 295 off 47 overs because of rain, but the hosts didn’t get close and were always behind the run rate as they were bowled out for 161 in 38.1 overs. Opener Alex Hales top-scored on his ODI debut with 40 before becoming one of Jadeja’s wickets. The first ODI in Bristol was abandoned without a ball being bowled because of rain. The third match is at Nottingham on Saturday.
Raina shared a 144-run stand with Dhoni (52 off 51 balls) for the fifth wicket to accelerate India’s innings, which stumbled to 19-2 after the cheap departures of Shikhar Dhawan (11) and Virat Kohli (0) and then 132-4 following opener Rohit Sharma’s demise for 52 in the 30th over. Raina, who didn’t play in the test series, showed the benefits of practicing with a taped tennis ball to get used to the kind of ball movement seen on English wickets, with the aggressive left-hander hitting three sixes and 12 fours in his first hundred in 95 ODI innings. Paceman Chris Woakes removed both Raina and Dhoni to finish with figures of 4-52, but a total of more than 300 was a brilliant score considering the very English conditions the hosts were bowling in and the fact that India lost the toss. England quickly fell behind the run-rate and lost three wickets in 20 balls, with Alastair Cook trapped lbw for 19 after playing across the line and both Ian Bell (1) and Joe Root (4) misjudging straight deliveries to be bowled by Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, respectively. When the big-hitting Hales top-edged a sweep off Jadeja and was caught by Ravichandran Ashwin, England was tottering on 81-4 and only Eoin Morgan (28) put up any worthwhile resistance in the middle and lower order.
Dhoni hails knock
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni heaped praises on Suresh Raina for his match-winning hundred in the second one-dayer against England that helped the visitors take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. “It was a fantastic knock,” said Dhoni, about Raina’s 75-ball 100. “It’s a very different format,” said India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, welcoming the world champions’ return to playing ODIs, “and it gives them freedom to express themselves in the field.” On the other hand, English captain was not happy with his team’s performance. “We didn’t play very well at all,” Cook said. “Credit to MS (Dhoni) and Raina, they took the game away from us.”
Source-http://crictoday.com/

Anderson and Broad: The new lead pair in modern fast bowling

Anderson and Broad: That sounds like the name of a chartered accountant firm or an attorney firm. They do not evoke the same menace of other fast bowling combos: such as a Lillee and Thomson or a Wasim and Waqar. Still, they take truckloads of wickets. Not just against India. Whoever comes to England, suffer their wrath. In English conditions, no batsman has mastered them. Not even Sachin Tendulkar.
If there is moisture in the air and there is bounce on the pitch, James Anderson and Stuart Broad are virtually unplayable. Or you ask Virat Kohli – or Cheteshwar Pujara. Anderson and Broad have convinced these young Indian batsmen that they have miles to go before they become the next Tendulkar and Dravid.
Setting a record
It is a well-worn cliché: that fast bowlers hunt in pairs. But if you look closely at the fast-bowling history, you will find far too many lonely hunters than celebrated pairs. Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, and Richard Hadlee, all were magnificent soloists.
In any case, Anderson and Broad were not considered as a deadly pair; but they have quietly notched up a remarkable record. In the series against India, they plucked out their 500th wicket. As far as opening bowlers go, only the Pakistani pair of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis and the West Indian pair of Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh have taken more wickets.
Unlike the other prolific fast-bowling pairs, they do not appear larger than life. Somehow, they miss the swagger and terrifying air of great fast-bowling pairs of yore. What sets them apart is their unassuming way. The fun and frolic through their Twitter accounts make them look like harmless young brats than dangerous fast-bowling giants.
What they have to show off for their worth is wickets. Together, they have already taken 523 wickets from 69 matches. Anderson and Broad entered the 500-club in their 67th match. To put this into perspective, Walsh and Ambrose have taken 762 wickets from 95 matches. Akram and Younis have taken 559 wickets from just 61 matches. Akram and Younis are in a class of their own. They have the best strike rate among fast-bowling pairs. Anderson and Broad have almost the same strike rate as that of Walsh and Ambrose.
Technically, there are two other bowling pairs who have taken more wickets than Anderson and Broad. The South African pairs of Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini and Jacques Kallis have taken 547 and 538 wickets, respectively, from 93 matches. However, they were not exactly bowling ‘pairs’. Kallis was more of a silent partner in these partnerships. Pollock and Ntini took the bulk of their wickets.
It is a matter of time, really, that Broad and Anderson will overtake Akram and Younis in this list. They need just 37 more wickets to go past the Pakistani greats. India are not touring England for a five match series in the near future. Still, they get enough opportunity in the next couple of series.During the 69 matches they played together, England took a total 1155 wickets. And they accounted for 523 of those wickets – almost half of the total wickets. At that rate, they will need just another 12-15 matches to edge past Akram and Younis. Barring an injury or a sudden dip of form, they are likely to achieve that feat. But Walsh and Ambrose are a long way ahead.
Broad is only 28; but Anderson is 32. The latter is unlikely to go on playing for a maximum of about four more years. They will have to race against time to catch up with the Caribbean giants.
Among the currently active players, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel have scalped 463 wickets together from 54 matches. Among the current crop, only they have any realistic chance of breaking into this elite club of fast bowling pairs.
What make Anderson and Broad click?
The easiest thing to find is their different sorts of bowling styles. Anderson swings the ball by making it to kiss the surface. Broad bounces the ball by banging it hard of surface. Anderson swings the ball both ways, but his stock delivery is the one that goes away. Broad bowls inswingers all day and he uses outswinger as surprise delivery. Their different bowling styles complement each other.
Another factor that works for them is their relentless accuracy. Broad has a McGrath-like accuracy – he bowls almost every ball in the channel just outside the off stump. While he does not have a prodigious swing, he moves the ball enough to beat the bat or find the edge. Anderson relies on super-natural swing. His deliveries appear coming to the leg stump, but end up well outside off-stump. The ball goes like teasing asteroids that pass the earth every now and then.
Both of them are disciplined with their line and length. They rarely offer boundary balls. They often get wickets by creating pressure and sustaining it for a long time. And they are ruthless against new batsmen. When a new batter comes to the crease, they do not allow him to settle by offering easy boundary balls. The batsman will have to play at every ball, but at the same time he will have to be judicious in his stroke-making. No one now knows more about their tricks and vile than the Indian batsmen.
Let us now see how Anderson and Broad started their individual journeys and how those journeys fused into a collective march towards the top of the cricket world.
James Anderson
Born in 1982, Anderson made his test debut against Zimbabwe in 2003. After the retirement of Darren Gough and Andrew Caddick, he assumed the leadership of English pace bowling attack. He has taken so far 380 wickets in 99 matches.
In his early days, he was a mercurial bowler. In swinging conditions, he was a magician capable of making the ball obey his orders. He would produce some memorable spells. But he had lacked consistency. When there was no swing on offer, he was like a rabbit under headlights. He bowled like amateurs in such situations. By about 2007, when he became the leader of the pace attack, he had realized the need to improve his consistency. It was then that he dropped the idea to bowl a magic delivery in every ball. He learnt to bowl line and length and began to use his big-swinging deliveries as a surprise weapon or when he is in the zone. The new approach offered him handsome dividends. He became a consistent bowler, troubling the top batsmen of the era. He would still have occasional off-days. But by and large, rival openers began to hate the sight of Anderson.
Stuart Broad
Born in 1986 as son of former English opener Chris Broad, Stuart Broad was destined to become a cricketer. He made his debut in 2007 against Sri Lanka when Anderson was assuming the leadership role of English pace attack. Unlike Anderson who is a perennial number 11, Broad is a capable lower order hitter. In the early days, he was more known for his intense attitude than actual results. In fact, he became the laughing stoke of whole of India when Yuvraj Singh hit him for six sixes in an over in the inaugural World T-20 championship.
He came back strongly from that setback. If anything, he only became a better, and fearless, bowler after that. In the shadow of Anderson, he found his mojo. He bowls at roughly the same pace as that of Anderson – in the 140-145 kmph range. But he does appear quicker. Perhaps that is because of the bounce he generates from the pitch. He attacks the top of the off-stump more regularly than any of today’s bowlers. Batsmen cannot keep leaving the deliveries. They have to play at the deliveries and he will test their skills. Unless the batsman is at the top of his game, Broad will get on top of him.A Place in Hall of Fame
Anderson and Broad are destined to earn their place in the hall of fame of opening bowlers by the sheer weight of wickets they take. Of late, both the players have acquired a reputation as nasty sledgers. It is often seen as spurts of anger than consistent menace. If they continue like this for a couple of more years, they will come close to Walsh and Ambrose, if not move past them in the wicket tally. If they do become the highest wicket taking fast-bowling pair, nobody will confuse them for chartered accountants and attorneys. They will be the AB of opening bowling.
Source-http://www.crictoday.com/